GB2123379A - Apparatus for loading and unloading a load onto and from a support surface - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to apparatus 1 for loading and unloading a load onto and from a support surface such as a vehicle floor, comprising a movable device 2 which is associated with the support surface by being mounted for reciprocation along a channel member (not shown) laid longitudinally of the support surface. The device 2 is moved to and fro along the channel by chains 4, 5 and carries catch means in the form of hooks 7 and 8 which are movable between one position in which the support surface is unobstructed by the catch means and a second position in which the catch means can engage and draw a load over the support surface when the device 2 is drawn by the chains 4, 5. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatusforloadingand unloading a load onto and from a support surface The invention relates to apparatus for loading and unloading a load onto and from a support surface, particularly a support surface such asthefloor of a vehicle like a lorry.

Vehicles such as a container lorry are often as much as 40' long, and in orderto use the load space to the best advantage the loads, often pallets, have to be moved to and fro along the whole length ofthe vehicle floor orsupportsurface forthe loads. It is often difficult to manoeuvre the loads inside the vehicle and in any event such manoeuvering requires the expendi ture of a great deal of time and effort.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to seekto mitigate these disadvantages.

According to the invention there is provided appar atus for loading and unloading a load onto and from a support surface, comprising a movable device associated with the support surface, means connected to the movable device for moving same along the support surface, and catch means carried bythe movable device and operable for movement between one position in which the support surface is unobstructed bythe catch means and a second position in which the catch means can engage and draw a load overthe support surface.

The catch means may be pivotably mounted on the movable device, and the means for moving the device along the support surface may also be connected to the catch means for pivoting the catch means between the first and second positions. This is a relatively simple construction for moving the catch means between the one position and the second position.

The catch means may comprise two opposed hook-like elements, one of which may be pivotable to the second position while the other is in the one position, and vice versa. This construction allows for simple loading and unloading of a load.

The meansformoving the device may comprise two elongateflexible elements, for example chains, which are movable by power means for moving the device and oneofwhich may cooperate with activating means to move the elements between the one position and the second position. This construction provides a relatively simple way of moving the device and of actuating the elements.

The actuating means may comprise a movable sprocket or pulley round which one flexible element may be trained.

The movable sprocket or pully may be connected to the piston of a piston and cylinder arrangement. Thus when the piston is extended, the flexible element is effectively "shortened", and to accommodatethis "shortening" the lookalike element is pivoted to the second position. This is a relatively simple yet efficient way to achieve movement to the second position.

At least one hook like element may have a length such that it may overhang the end of the support surface when the device is adjacent an edge thereof.

Thus construction can allow engagement ofthe apparatus with a load which is not full inboard ofthe support surface.

The hook like element may be connected by means such as a spray biassing them to the one position. This construction provides for positive retraction to the one position so leaving the support surface unobstructed, when for example the actuating means fails or is otherwise rendered inoperative.

It will be understood thatthe invention hereinbefore described extends to a support surface such as the floor of a lorry in which apparatus as hereinbefore defined is mounted.

The apparatus may be used in conjunction with a roller bed which is raisableand lowerablewith respect to the support surface so that loads for example on pallets may be moved freely over the support surface bythe apparatus when the rollers are raised, and held securely on the surface when the rollers are lowered.

The rollertrack may conveniently be divided into sections so that pallets can be held in position whilst others are loaded and unloaded. If a roller bed or beds is not or are not used, the pulling force ofthe apparatus has to overcome the frictional resistance between the load, e.g. a pallet, and the support surface.

Apparatus embodying the invention is hereinafter described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1. is a side elevational view of part ofthe apparatus embodying the invention with catch means in the one position; Figure 2 is a view similarto Figure 1 with one catch means in the second position; Figure 3 is a view similarto Figure 1 with the other catch means inthesecond position; Figure4isan enlarged detail of Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a plan viewof Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus 1 for loading and unloading beds, such as those borne on pallets, onto and from a support surface (not shown) comprises a movable device 2 which is associated with the support surface by being mounted for receprocation along a channel member (not shown) laid longitudinally ofthe support surface, for example the floor of a container lorry. The movable device 2 is connected with means for moving it along the channel member and thus along the support surface. The means 3 is in the form of two elongate flexible elements comprising chains 4 and 5which are trained over sprocket and pulley means and are connected to a drive unit 6 such as a motorised pump (not shown) connected with a hydraulic motor.The movable device 2 also carries catch means in the form of hook-like elements or hooks 7 and 8 which are mounted as by being pivoted to the movable device 2 sothattheycan be moved from one position (Fig 1, Fig 4) in which the support surface is unobstructed and a second position in which the element can engage a pallet and draw it along the support surface. The apparatus 1 is so mounted that in the one position the free ends of the hook-like elements 7 and 8 lie flush with orwholly below the support surface in the channel member. One of the chains 5 causes the hook members to rise and fall in other words to move between the one and the second position and vice versa,theelements7and 8 being able to move separately.Both chains 4 and 5 are used to pull the device 2 and hence provide the pull necessary to move the pallet. (In Figs 1 to 3, the left hand side onlyofthe.

chain system is shown for clarity, as the system is symmetrical). The chain 5 is trained round actuating means comprising a movable sprocket or pulley 9 which is connected to the piston 10 of a piston and cylinderarrangement 1 1.There are two movable sprockets 9 and piston/cylinder arrangements 11, one for each hook, only one being shown in Figs 1-3, for the hook 7. (It will be understood that means other than the piston/cylinder arrangement 11 could be used to move the sprocket for example mechanical means).

The hooks 7 and 8 are connected by biassing means in the form of a spring 12 connected between parallel lugs 13 of each hook. The spring 12 biasses the hooks to the one position.

The chains 5 are aligned vertically with the hooks 7 and 8to avoid any offset or skewforce, so that the loads are moved over the surface without a tendency forthe device 2to skew in the channel member, so avoiding jamming.

The chain 4 on the one side ofthe device 2 is in line with the chain 5 on the other side.

The chains 4 and 5 pass round common drive sprockets 14 before diverging on separate paths for connection with the device 2 the chain 4 passing round a fixed sprocket 15 and a jockey wheel 16. The drive sprockets 14 are connected with the hydraulic motor6 and the motorised pump is fitted with a control valve to provide a forward-stop-reverse function. There is a separate control for the piston cylinder arrangement 11 for moving the sprocket 9:AIl the controls are preferably located together at a single control unitfor exampleatornearthetail-gate of a vehicle in which the apparatus 1 is mounted.

The sprockets 14 are double sprockets so that both chains 4 and 5 exert equal pulling forces. The movable sprockets or pulleys 9 are separately mounted and are independently movable by their respective actuating means 11.

In operation, assuming the apparatus 1 is mounted the floor of a vehicle, if it is desired to maove a pallet into the vehicle, which is assumed to be to the right as viewed in Figs 1 -3,The pallet is manoeuvered overthe device 2 so that the hook7 when raised can engage the pallet (Fig 1 )..The piston/cylinder arrangement 11 is then actuated to extend the piston 10 to the left (as viewed in Fig 2) so moving the movable sprocket9 to the left. This tends to "shorten" the chain 5, which "shortening" is accommodated by pivoting ofthe hook 7 from the one pqsition (Fig .1) to-the second position (Fig 2) in which the edge of the pallet is engaged.The piston 10 ensures a positive grip, and the drive unit is actuated to move the chains'4 and 5 in a clockwise sense as viewed to draw the device 2 in the direction ofthe arrow, to the right (Fig 2) When the pallet is in the desired position, the drive unit is stopped and the piston is retracted to the right. Spring 12 returns the hook 7 to the one position.

In orderto unload it is merely necessary to raisethe hook 8 to the second position fig. 3 using its piston/cylinder arrangement and movable sprocket and reverse the drive unit so thatthe chains 4 and 5 move in an anti-clockwise sense to move the device 2, and pallet, to the left as viewed.

It will be understood that one or more parallel apparatus 1 may be installed to provide single, multiple or separate engagement of a load. In each case, each hook7 and 8 can be raised and lowered separately as described, to traverse the support surface with orwithout being in engagement with a pallet, in eitherofthetwo opposite directions possi ble. Thisflexibility of movement allows the hooksto pass under pallets already stored in position on the support surface.

The hooks 7 and 8 can have a sufficient length to overhang the edge ofthe supportsurfaceto engage a load which is not full inboard thereof.

The support surface may include rise and fall roller beds which in the raised position project above the supportsurface forfacilitating movement of loads overthe surface. When the rollers are lowered the loads are held securely in position on the support surface.

There may be a powered roller atthe edge ofthe support surface for moving loads onto the surface prior to engagement with the hooks.

twill be understood that unit loads, crates or other loads similarto pallet-borne ones can be handled using the apparatus above described and shown in the drawings.

Claims (12)

1. Apparatusforloadingandunloadinga load onto and from a support surface, comprising a movable device associated with the support surface, means connected to the movable devicefor moving same along the supportsurface, and catch means carried bythe movable device and operable for movement between one position in which the supportsurface is unobstructed by the catch means and a second position in which the catch means can engage and draw a load overthe support surface.

2. Apparatus according Claim 1, the catch means being pivotably mounted on the movable device, the means of moving the device along the support surface also being connected to the catch means for pivoting the catch means between the first and second positions.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, the catch means comprising two opposed hook-like elements one of which is pivotableto the second position while the other is in the one position, and vice versa.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, the meansfor moving the device comprising two elongate flexible elements which areniovablebymeansformoving the device and one of which co-operated with actuating means to move the elements between the one position and the second position.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, the actuating means comprising a movable sprocket or pulley round which the one flexible element is trained.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, the movable sprocket or pulley being connected to the piston and cylinder arrangement.

7. Apparatusaccordingtoanyof Claims4to G,the elongate flexible elements comprising chains.

8. Apparatus according to any of Claims3to7,at least one of the hook-like elements having a length such that it can overhang the end of the support surface when the device is adjacent on edge thereof.

9. Apparatus according to any of Claims 3 to 8,the hook-like elements being connected by means biassing them to the one position.

10. Apparatus according to Claim 9. the biassing means comprising a spring.

11. Apparatus for loading and unloading a load onto and from a support surface, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

12. A support surface such asthefloor of a vehicle, including apparatus according to any preceding claim.